Stuart Broad's injury problem is a worry for England as he looks set to miss one-day series against India

Concerns are growing over the fitness of England fast bowler Stuart Broad. It
now appears increasingly unlikely that he will play in this one-day series
in India, although he is still due to arrive in time for the last two of the
five matches.

Tough time: Fast bowler Stuart Broad is believed to have been bowling slower than his usual pace last yearPhoto: AP

Broad has a heel injury that forced him home early from India before Christmas, missing out on captaining the two T20 internationals after the four-Test series, from which he was dropped after the second Test.

England are hoping that he will be ready to captain in the three T20Is in New Zealand that follow this tour.

“There’s not a doubt about him being in New Zealand at this stage,” said national selector Geoff Miller on Monday. And this week Broad will travel to Germany to visit the Adidas factory where he will try some new specially-made footwear in the hope that it will reduce the stress on his left heel.

The fear is that if Broad were to break down again, he could face an even lengthier spell out of the game.

“Anybody with an injury is a concern to us,” said Miller, “and we’ve got to manage workloads as best as we can.”

There were worries last year that Broad’s pace had dipped from its norm. “We’ve got to find out whether that is because of injury or another reason,” said Miller.

“We need to find that out. What we have to do is react to the injury that he has at any one time. The concern is that there have been two or three niggles that have affected his form and availability.”

Miller was asked whether Broad could be rested from one form of the game (Eoin Morgan deputised as T20I captain before Christmas) to maintain his fitness.

“At this moment of time we’re not thinking about taking him out of a format,” said Miller, “ because he’s got that sort of quality. But if we reached the stage where his body wasn’t responding to all kinds of cricket, then we’re open to that. We will make sure he’s used in the best possible way for English cricket. He knows that.”

At least England possess a cavernous well of fast bowlers from which to choose. Indeed has it ever been deeper?

“No, I don’t think so,” said Miller, “but that’s not accidental. We’ve worked hard at this, through the Lions and other things. It’s not just having a pool of bowlers but different kinds of bowlers.

"There are the big fellas – and [Chris] Tremlett is on his way back and very positive about where he is – and depth in other areas. We’re virtually there now. There’s perhaps even more depth than two for each position now.”

England have an exhausting calendar year of cricket, including the Champions Trophy and nine Ashes Tests.

In a way then it is a blessing that Test and one-day international captain Alastair Cook does not play international Twenty20. It means, for instance, that he will enjoy a short respite at home after this tour at the end of the month before the first one-day international in New Zealand on Feb 17.

“It’s a break for him,” said Miller, “and he will need breaks, both physically and mentally as we go on. Most players want to play everything, but we would rather players play for us for a longer time, with us managing the workload, than having a shorter career of playing all the time. It’s very intense and full on now. We’ll work with him to see what’s best for him and for us.”